The Forgotten
by Otokage
Summary: Nobody likes to be forgotten. To be forgotten means that you never existed. But nothing ever fades from existence. Now the very things the Gods have 'forgotten' will be their undoing. Olympus will fall. Because we were forgotten... their forbidden sins.
1. Chapter 1

***throws hands up in the air* Oh good lord! Finally, I have been able to access a computer! For the past God knows how long, I havent been able to touch a keyboard. But now, at last, I can update ALL of my stories... except Aladdin and Cassim. Thats dead folks. But for all of you who know me, expect updates on all my others in the next few days!**

**Alelujah! I am alive! *shines like Jesus***

**In the meantime, please, enjoy this_ BRAND NEW_, HOT OFF THE PRESS, STORY!!!**

**Crime, I sound like Billy Mays. I hope my brother hasnt brought him back yet....**

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Moonlight streamed through the black archway; the entrance to Mt. Othyrs. A shadow stirred in the corner, and a white figure dashed across the threshold. It pressed itself the black marble pillars. A girl, clothed in white, peered her head from around the corner. Her dark hair was pulled back into a braid woven with silver, and her silver eyes gleamed in the moonlight. She clutched a readied bow in her hands, her fingers ready to draw back and release the arrow they held.

Artemis, goddess of the hunt, slowly crept her way into the ruins. She did not like this place. Once, this had been a dark place, the strong-hold of the Titans. She had been imprisoned here. She had lost her most trusted lieutenant here. It had been, and still was, a dark place.

Still, Artemis moved forward. The energy coming from this place was stronger, as strong as it had once been when the Titan's used it as their stronghold. She had pleaded with the Olympian Council to investigate, to do something. For some reason, they ignored here. Zeus said he could not feel anything. Nor could any of the other Gods. But Artemis felt it. She felt it like frozen ice pumping through her veins.

Here, this energy pulsed. Boom, ba-boom, boom, ba-boom. For Artemis, it felt almost familiar. She wasn't sure where though. Her feet brushed against the stones cluttered around the once grand temple. A slight wind brushed her face, and she knew she was close.

Millennia ago, the Earth had split from the Sky. However, these two jilted lovers still tried to be together in one place, on this mountain. However, they had to be kept back, for if they did join once more, the result might even kill the Gods. As punishment for aiding the Titans during the first War, Zeus has the titan Atlas imprisoned here, to forever hold up the Sky. A few years ago, Atlas had tricked Artemis in holding up to Sky, so she could not inform the Council of one of Kronos's schemes. Thanks to a son of Poseidon, Atlas was once more imprisoned, and a disaster was diverted. But at a terrible cost to Artemis.

Zoe; her lieutenant of her Hunters, had been killed. And while Artemis felt the Hunt was secure in the hands of Thalia, she longed for the days when Zoe was at her side.

But now, she hunted alone. She had to hunt alone, for this source. She would not risk the life of another Hunter. The wind grew stronger, and Artemis had to squint as dust and dirt was kicked around.

In the center of the room, what seemed like a small tornado came from the ceiling, swirling and moving, trying to force its way to the ground. This was the Sky, trying to rejoin with the Earth. And between them, was the figure keeping it back.

"Help me!"

Artemis's grip on her bow slackened in surprise. That was not the voice of Atlas. It was much younger, and much more scared. She gingerly stepped forward, trying to see through the wind. A boy knelt beneath the tornado, with his hands up. His shoulders were braced, and the base of the cyclone pounded between his shoulders.

"Please, help me! I don't know how much longer I can hold it!"

The aura of power was stronger know. It made the hair on her graceful arms stand on end. As she got closer, Artemis could see the boy better. He wore a deer-skin tunic and sandals, and a quiver of arrows and a bow lay at his feet. His hair was dark, and his eyes were squeezed shut in agony.

"Where is Atlas?" Artemis asked, her eyes darting to the corner of the room. She readied her bow for any trickery that might ensnare her.

"I don't know." the boy said, gritting his teeth. "He tricked me. Told me... he wanted to see his daughters down the mountain. That he would come back."

Artemis frowned. "Then you are a fool, boy. Atlas has no intention of coming back."

Ba-boom boom. Ba-boom boom.

"Please..." the boy begged. His arms shook a little. "I can't hold it anymore. Its too heavy."

"Yes, you will. You know the consequences if you release it. Besides, you can't, even if you wanted to. That's the imprisonment." Artemis said, coolly. The boy would have to endure for his stupidity. She cursed him. Atlas was free once more because of a male's foolishness. This was why men could never be trusted with anything. She turned to leave, and only made it a few steps, before the boy cried out.

"Please! Don't leave! Help me! Lady Artemis, for the love of your son, help me, Mother!"

Artemis whirled around, her bow clattering to the floor, the same time the boy opened his eyes in plea. The moonlight gleamed off of his silver eyes as he stared into hers.

"Mother, help me!"

Ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom. She could feel it now. It came from him. It was her aura. her power. His heartbeat.

It was him. Her hidden sin.

Artemis rushed to the boy's side, kneeling next to him. Her hands reached up, grasping the Sky, taking most of the burden off of him. The weight of the Sky forced the goddess to kneel, straining with her shoulders braced. A wave of relief passed over the boy's face.

"Thank-you..." he whispered, letting go of the Sky. A heavier weight dropped onto Artemis now that she was the only one holding it. He rolled away, laying on his back, heaving with sweat rolling down his face as he stared up at the torrential sky. Artemis used every ounce of her strength to keep the sky up.

Slowly, the boy got up. He gave a few weak, hobbling steps towards Artemis, and then bent down and picked up the boy and quiver that lay where he was.

"Help me hold up the sky!" Artemis said. The boy shook his head.

"No... thank-you though, for making this so easy." he said. "It wasn't easy to hold that up. But now that you're here, everything is going according to plan." The boy gave a small, innocent smile. Artemis stared at him.

"You tricked me."

"Such an accusation. But yes, I did trick you. And like the rabbit is always snared by the wire, you fell for the trap that was meant to hold you." the boy said.

"Where is Atlas?" Artemis asked. The boy frowned.

"Always caring about other people, aren't you? Don't worry, he's not free. He failed Lord Kronos in the last war. He's safe and secure in Tartarus. I made sure of that personally..."

"My Hunters will come for me." Artemis said. The boy scowled.

"You don't get it, do you? You still don't get it." he said, as he strung his bow. His finger plucked the string experimentally. "Me. Here. Your son. Does that mean anything to you?" The boy asked.

"I have no son." Artemis said. The boy's nostrils flare.

"You gave birth to me! And then what did you do? Dumped me in a frigging orphanage!" the boy growled angrily. "I am your son." the boy said firmly. "You abandoned me. You left me. I didn't even know who my parents were till he told me."

"You were one of the Half-Bloods who sided with Kronos." Artemis said, with some realization. The boy just looked at her, like she was the stupidest thing he had ever seen.

"What? You think anybody else could've found out your little secrete?" he said. "Imagine my surprise. I was the son of a Goddess. My mother was Artemis, goddess of the Hunt. " the boy said. He then chuckled. "Honestly, it wasn't the fact that all this existed. Oh, there was more than enough proof for that. What I couldn't believed is that my mother was who they said she was." He waved a hand towards his ear, as if trying to remember something. "Oh right! She was suppose to be a eternal virgin! Whoops, looks like you messed up on that one Mom."

"Stop it!" Artemis said, as his words pierced her. She hadn't intended to fall in love with him. She didn't intend to give herself to a man. But how could she? He was the only one who had ever loved her trully.

The boy knelt infront of her, his head tipped to the side.

"Honestly? I don't care that you went back on your 'divine' word. That you broke an oath, whatever." the boy said with a small smile. "Because if you didn't, then I wouldn't be here."

"No, what bothers me the most is the question that's been bugging me for the last ten minutes. You see, I didn't really believe that you were my mother, or that you even had a son until about ten minutes ago. That's what this was about..." the boy said, gesturing to the Sky pressing down on Artemis's back. "Anybody else would've just walked away. Any other God wouldn't have cared. But it seems, dare I say it, you have some scrap of humanity left. This burden can't be forced upon anyone except Atlas. You decided to take the Sky up again, and free me of its burden." the boy said. He clapped his hands together and smiled. "So, now that this is out of the way, its time for twenty questions." he said. He pulled a silver hunting knife from Artemis's belt. It glowed white hot in his hands, burning his skin, but he didn't seem to care or notice. "Question Number One: Why did you abandon me?" he asked. Artemis didn't answer, and tried to stare right through him. The boy sighed, and put a hand clenching the dagger to his forehead in exasperation.

"Maybe I didn't make myself clear enough. Why did you..." he said, as he cut Artemis along the arm with her own knife. Golden immortal ichor, the blood of the Gods, ran down her arm. "...abandon me?"

Artemis cried out in pain. The boy frowned, and spun the knife in his hand.

"This going to be harder than I thought. So, let me try again." he said, raising the knife. "Why did you abandon me?" He brought it down on her. "Why did you abandon me?" Down again. "Why did you abandon me? Why did you abandon me? Why did you abandon me? Why did you abandon me?"

"I couldn't let anybody know!" Artemis screamed out finally, tears running down her face from the pain. She couldn't carry the Sky and deal with both the emotional and physical pain her son was causing her. The boy stopped, the knife raised in mid stab.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"I couldn't let anybody know..." Artemis sobbed.

"Know what?"

"About my shame." she said, shaking underneath the weight of the Sky. The boy's face grew red.

"So, you cared more about your reputation as a Goddess than the well-being of your son." the boy said frowning.

"Did you not visit me, not send a sign, and not even give a damn about me for this same reason?" he asked. Silence. The boy shrugged and stabbed Artemis just below her near. She gave a scream and collapsed onto her shins.

"Y-yes!!!"

"Were you ever going to acknowledge my existence?"

"N-no..." Artemis whispered, tears running down her face. The boy smiled.

"So you thought I was just going to disappear? Just, live out my life or get eaten by a monster? Is that it?" he asked. He held the knife thoughtfully to his chin. "Well, this is a little anti-climatic. You know, I was kinda hoping for some half-assed excuse like, it was for my own good or something." he spun the knife in his hand.

"You know, this would be the part in the movie where I say something incredibly bad-assed, and then cut your throat. Unfortunately, you're an immortal Goddess, and we need someone to hold up the Sky." the boy said, shrugging his shoulders. He knelt down infront of Artemis again.

"Mother, let me tell you something. Our past always comes back to haunt us. No matter what we do, those nightmares always come out of the shadows when we least expect them. Nothing ever dies or fades out of existence."

Artemis was crying now, sobbing quietly to herself. The boy gently took her by the chin, so she'd look at him.

"Mother, there is always forgiveness for those who ask for it. But first, you need to earn it. This burden..." he said, nodding towards the Sky, "...is but the first of your repentance." he said. "Years ago, your father Zeus granted you six wishes and you wished for anything you desired. I think its only fair that you grant your son six wishes as well. Grant them all as I ask for them, and we'll call it even, alright?"

The boy saw Artemis nod, and he grinned fiercely.

"Very well..." he said. "I think I'll ask for my first one now. And its so easy!" he said. "Give to me the knives, bow, and quiver that Zeus granted you."

Artemis didn't say anything for a moment, but looked down at the floor, letting her tears drip down her face. They formed a small puddle at her feet. The boy waited irritably for an answer, and he twirled the knife, wondering if he'd have to start cutting again. But finally, Artemis gave her response.

"Take them... they are yours..."

The boy sheathed the knives in his own belt, and unbuckled the silver bow and quiver from Artemis's back. He strapped them onto himself, and looked at his reflection in the marble floor.

"Now that's more like it. See mother? That's one down." the boy said. Artemis looked up at him, almost pleadingly.

"My son... my child..." she sobbed. The boy frowned and wagged a finger at her.

"Wrong. You might be my mother, but I am not your son. Furthermore..." the boy said, but something seemed to strike his mind. He gave a low chuckle.

"I'm SO sorry. Forgive, where are my matters. An entire lifetime and you don't even know my name." the boy said. He got down on one knee and gave a mocking bow to Artemis.

" I go by many names. Some call me Adam. I am called the Deer Runner, Wolf Hunter, and am He of the Silver Arrow. But I am your humble servant and child, and you may call me Simetra, for I am your undoing.... mother..."

Simetra got back up, and began to walk away.

"Glad we got to know each other. And don't worry, I'll tell your Hunters hi when I see them." He put a hand on the marble archway, and looked back at her, smiling.

"So long Mother... remember, nobody likes to be forgotten..."

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**To be continued? You tell me! Leave reviews and let me know if I should!**


	2. Hunters

**Well, here you go, next chapter. I'll add comments later on. Too tired right now. *yawns* Anyway, please read and review.**

**BTW, did anyone else take the SAT on Saturday? Those things can burn anybody out. Ugh…**

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**Chapter 2**

**Hunters**

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If a mortal could see through the Mist, and truly see what was in this forest clearing, the result would be the following: They would pause, look for a moment, shrug their soldiers, and just keep walking. There was nothing special about the scene. A trio of tents stood clustered together in front of a roaring fire. A cool night breeze rustled the leaves overhead, as stars twinkled in the night sky. If one could look up, they would see the constellations: Cancer the Crab, Ursa Minor, Virgo, Zoe the Hunter...

Infront of the fire, an adolescent boy sat on a log, staring into the flames. Nearby, a younger girl tended the flames, poking the burning wood with a stick, so they'd burn better.

"He's late..." the girl said in an middle-eastern accent, frowning. She glanced at the sky worriedly. She had long, straight black hair, and darker, though not African, skin. Her brown, almond shaped eyes were framed by long lashes. She wore a cream dress and sandals, with a gold armband that was engraved with numerous hieroglyphs slid halfway up her left forearm. A scarab pendant lay against her throat; it seemed to be glowing in the firelight.

"Calm yourself, Nala. He is alive. I would have foreseen his death..." the boy said. It was clear from his voice that he was from perhaps the Eastern Block of Europe, or somewhere near Norweigh. There was something in his voice that made one think of wooden ships in a storm sea. An eye patch covered his left eye, and he wore a dark woolen tunic and long blue cloak, the hood of which covered his straw-blond hair. His good eye was like a shard of blue crystal, staring into the flames.

The girl got up, and paced next to the fire nervously. She clasped her hands to her heart, still staring up at the stars.

"That doesn't mean he's okay, Eric! What if she just left him there? What if she tricked him instead? There's no telling what she'd do." Nala said.

"I doubt she'd do too much. If he is going to die, then there's little I can do about it." Eric said. Suddenly, he stiffened and gave a grunt. "Good to see you're back..."

Nala swung around, to see Simetra crouching behind Eric, with his hunting knife to Eric's throat. The deerskin clad boy seemed to fade in and out of the flickering shadows caused by the firelight; a figment of an imagination gone wild.

"Adam! You're okay!" Nala said, happily.

"You two are too loud. And you..." Simetra said, pressing the flat of his blade against Eric's throat. "You breath so hard, I could've shot you with my eyes closed." Simetra gave a grin, and flipped his knife backward in his hand, before returning it to his sheath. He sat down on the log next Eric, stretching his legs out.

"Good hunting?" Eric asked, still staring into the flames. Simetra nodded, reaching behind the log and bringing up a wrapped bundle.

"She was too easy. I would have expected a God to be harder prey." Simetra said. Nala knelt infront of Simetra, looking at the bundle in his hands.

"Was she... you know?" she asked, gently.

"My mom? Yeah... here's the proof..." Simetra said, opening the bundle. A pair of silver hunting knives, and a silver bow and quiver lay within the cloth. Nala reached her hand out hesitantly, and touched the hilt of one of the knives. She looked away and closed her eyes.

"I'm so sorry Adam..." she whispered.

"Sibuna, don't call me that." Simetra said, tensely.

"We're gonna call you by your real name no matter what you insist. Keep your 'clever' names to yourself and to those idiots we deal with. Stupid monsters couldn't pick out a dwarf amongst a lineup of giants." Eric muttered.

Adam frowned, his hand straying to hunting knife again, but then he thought better of it.

"So where is Elaphe at?" Adam asked.

"I let him loose a little while ago to go graze in the forest." Nala said, with a small smile. She knew she was the only person Adam trusted to keep an eye on Elaphe while Adam was off on a Hunt. She cherised that trust more than anything.

"Nido, have you seen anything?" Adam asked, staring into the flames.

"Yes. Father Odin sent me a vision last night while you were gone." Eric said. Nala looked at him, startled.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, hurt. Eric shrugged his shoulders, still staring into the flames.

"You didn't ask. The One-eye does not needlessly tell unless you wish to know." Eric said.

Adam stared at Eric, his silver eyes flickering with the firelight. "Tell me what you saw." Adam whispered, his breath held in his throat.

Eric was silent for a moment, and then turned his icy blue eye upon Adam.

"I dreamt of a great pine tree. Near this tree was small silver flower. The flower was jealous of the pine tree, for others only noticed the tree's height and majesty instead of the flower's beauty and innocence. So the flower asked a hot dry wind to blow from the South, and it did, and the needles on the tree turned yellow. The soil at the base of the tree was poor and loose, and the South Wind blew most of this away, and exposed the pine tree's roots. But still, the pine tree did not fall. The flower than asked an icy cold wind to blow from the North, and it did. The wind stripped the bark from the tree, and rattled the braches, coating them slick with ice. The tree lost its needles, and stood bare and naked. But still the tree stood. Enraged, the flower asked both the North and South winds to blow against the tree, and they did. The bark snapped, and with a mighty crash, the tree was toppled." Eric said. He then closed his eye, and turned his face towards the fire. "This is what I saw…"

There was silence in the forest glen for a moment. Both Adam and Nala had lost the ability to speak for the moment, so awed by what they had just listened too. Nala placed her hand on Adam's, as the boy stared into the fire, with a troubled look upon his face. Adam was the first to recover the use of his voice.

"Eric, you're positive about this?" Adam asked, quietly.

"My father and I see all. Once the small price of Mimir's Well has been paid, one sees beyond what they once did…" Eric said, putting a hand to his eye patch. Adam grinned, and gave a hearty laugh, pounding Eric on the back.

"Then that is a good dream! A very good dream indeed! If it means what I think it does!" Adam said, laughing. Nala gave a small giggle of relief. Sometimes she worried about Adam. It was rare he was ever in a good mood since… and she wanted to make him happy.

"Adam... I mean, Simetra...." Nala said, looking at the silver bow again, "...who is your next target? Another Olympian?" she asked, innocently. If anyone could bring down the Olympians, she knew it could be him.

The smile was whisked off of Adam's face, and Nala knew she shouldn't have asked. Adam pulled out one of his arrows, and looked down the shaft of it at Nala.

"Now why do you think my next target is an Olympian?" he asked, quietly. Nala fidgeted with her scarab pendant uneasily.

"Because you went after your mo- I mean... you went after Artemis..." Nala said, quietly. Adam frowned, and leaned back, still staring down the length of the arrow, but now at the night sky.

"Sibuna, I aim kill the heavens themselves and hang their ethereal majesty as my hunting trophy." Adam said. Nala beamed at him with admiration, but Eric shook his head reprimanding.

"Your pride and arrogance is a double edged sword, Adam. Be sure not to cut yourself upon it." Eric said.

"Tell it to the Olympians, One-Eye. " Adam said with a hint of a growl in his voice.

"Look!" Nala said, pointing skyward. Adam and Eric looked up, too see the silhouette of an eagle against the night sky. Almost instinctively, Adam dropped the arrow and reached for his bow; the bird's feather would be a beautiful trophy to add to his collection.

After a second, he swore. It was too dark to see the bird accurately! Curse the Gods, was this some trickery from them? He had always hit his mark at night as well as he could during the sunlit hours. With a deft hand, he grabbed the end of a burning piece of wood out of the fire. Adam threw it into the air, watching it trail like a fiery comet towards the bird. He wasn't looking to kill it, merely to see it. Afterwards, his arrow would never miss.

The eagle gave an annoyed shriek, and maneuvered to avoid the flaming missile. Suddenly, Adam could see another bird against the night sky, one he could see clearly. A raven, blacker than the shadow of a tree at night, circled above the eagle. As the eagled flew to get out of the way, the raven shot down like a bullet towards it. There was a raucous of shrieking birds as they buffeted each other with beak and wings, and then just as quickly broke away.

Now! The moment was now! Adam's hand reached for for his quiver, and grimaced as his hand landed on one of Artemis's silver arrows. There was no time to think about it. The moment was right! he knocked the bow, and in fluid motion, pulled back and fired it.

The shot was so perfect, Adam was afraid he had secretly used one of his wishes to make it happen. With a shriek, the eagle dropped to the forest floor, slain. Adam gave a whoop of triumph, as though he had just scored a personal vendetta against the bird.

"You got it, Simetra!" Nala said, clapping her hands.

"Twas well shot, Deer Runner..." Eric said, looking at the bird. "Though, you seemed to have damaged your prize."

"What?!" Adam snapped, glaring at him incredulously. He marched over to the fallen eagle, examining it. He saw it now. The tail feathers were badly burnt from when he had thrown the torch. That wasn't all though.

"Looks like that raven was looking for a fight. Look, it pecked out the eyes." Nala said, pointing.

Adam looked, and sure enough, that was the case. Adam scowled, nudging the bird with his foot. "A wasted arrow... at least it was one of hers..."

"Nein. You are foolish to look ill upon an omen such as this." Eric said, stretching his hands out to the fire. "Can you not see the signs?"

Adam's eyebrows raised slightly in surprise.

"Is this anything like the dream you told us." Adam asked, but Eric didn't respond.

"Simetra, nobody can interpret the signs the Gods or Titans send us. Only those they were meant for can find any meaning in them." Nala said, gently. "This is something that you must decide for yourself what it means..."

Adam was silent for a moment, staring down at the bird. At last, he decided on a meaning behind the events that had just happened. Adam reached down and cut the pinion feathers off of the eagle, and held them aloft in the firelight.

"A good omen it is then..." he said quietly. He tossed the feathers into the fire, and watched them burn.

"For the Titans..." Adam prayed, offering the trophy as a sacrifice. He slung his bow over his shoulder, and cleaned his hunting knife off on the grass. "I need to go for a run. I need to think. To breathe." he said. Almost as if he was being chased by demons, Adam took off like an arrow. Nala could barely hear his footsteps against the forest floor as he faded into the darkness.

For a moment, there was silence in the camp. Nala went over to the fallen eagle, and gently pushed it over. Her breath suddenly caught in her throat.

As the silver arrow had pierced the eagle's heart, it had snapped in half. The broken shaft dangled uselessly by a twisted piece of wood, the steel barb still lodged in the bird's chest.

"A bad omen..." Nala whispered. With a shaky hand, she placed the tips of her fingers on the dead eagle. It swiftly decayed into the ground, leaving behind a frame of bones. Then, the bones themselves faded into the earth. A new hieroglyph, an eagle, appeared on her arm-band.

"Eric... was there more to that dream you had?" Nala asked, apprehensively.

"Yes, actually, there was." Eric said, turning his eye upon her. Fear flickered in Nala's eyes.

"What happened to the silver flower in the end?" she asked. Her hands were clasped around the scarab pendant against her throat.

A faint smile seemed to hover around Eric's lips.

"Why, it was crushed by the falling tree of course."

* * *

"Lieutenant, we've lost the trail. Its gone cold." a Hunter told Thalia. She pressed her hand to the ground, as if trying to search for something. "No tracks, no signs, nothing. It looks as though the beast just vanished."

Thalia sighed, glancing at the group of adolescent girls clad in white around her. For the past few days, they had been trying to hunt down a Chimera that had been pestering about near Albany, NY. For days they had chased it all over New York, each day closing the gap between them just a little more. A monster that big left a trail easy enough to follow.

But now it was gone. And as Thalia looked around at her Hunters, see could see that they were tired, cold, and hungry. The Hunt could wait for a few hours. They needed rest.

"Alright, pitch out the tents. We'll continue in the morning. No point chasings shadows." Thalia said. She could feel the relief pass through most of the girls, and they began to talk among themselves. Some of them unloaded tents, others collected firewood and cleared brush away.

Thalia sat down on a stump, and unstrapped her quiver from her shoulder. She was just as tired as the rest of the Hunters were. Not just physically, but mentally. Of course, that was what was required of Artemis's Lieutenant. She had to make decisions that the Goddess would make if she was here. Almost absentmindedly, Thalia touched the silver circlet upon her head. She couldn't help but feel... doubt...

"M'lady? Are you hungry?"

The question snapped Thalia out of her concentration, and she looked up at the Hunter who had asked it.

"Yeah, actually. What do we have left?" Thalia asked. The girl shifted on one foot to the other nervously.

"Not much. Most of the rations we ate on the Hunt, but we can scavenge for something." she said. Thalia sighed. Not a big deal. Just one of the small issues that came up every so often. A night of roots and berries wouldn't kill anyone.

Her eyes widened a bit as she saw something stir in the bushes on the far side of camp. She made a sign for the Hunter to be quiet, and then moved to the side to get a better look.

A magnificent stag was moving among the trees. It hadn't seen her yet, and Thalia strung her bow, and reached for an arrow.

"A blessing from Artemis..." the other Hunter whispered in awe. What else could it be?

Thalia nodded in agreement. Deer had always been a sign of Artemis, and this had to be a gift from her, to her hungry Hunters. Thalia moved forward cautiously, quietly. One wrong sound could alert the deer, and then they'd be stuck with berries. She could do this. She was the hunter, the swift, the silent, the-

_**SNAP**_

Thalia's foot broke a twig in half. The stag looked up at her, and in one fluid motion, bounded away. Thalia let her arrow fly, and the shot was good. She hit, but she wasn't sure where. See could see the deer getting farther and farther away.

"I'm going after it!" Thalia said. "Some of you, come with me!"

With that, she plunged into the forest, followed by a dozen of Artemis's Hunters.

* * *

Adam let his feet follow each other as he ambled through the trees. At one point, his legs finally got their screaming message to him, and he had slowed down to a walk, panting but exhilarated. There was something he loved about running. Maybe it was the wind in his face, the blood pumping through his veins, or just the thrill of it. He felt like he was chasing after something when he ran. Some unknown goal or target, that no matter how fast or how far he ran, he couldn't get any closer. But Adam didn't care, so long as he got to run.

Still, if running was his favorite, than walking was a close second. When Adam walked, his body went on auto-pilot. Left foot, then right. Left. Right. Left. Right. This didn't mean he was absent minded. On the contrary, he seemed hypersensitive to everything. But he didn't need to think about walking. He didn't need to push his body another mile, another yard, another step. Walking was his time to think about things, and observe things. When he ran, Adam never had the chance to appreciate what he was running by. But by walking, he could observe and appreciate it at his leisure.

And what a night it was. For once in a long time, Adam was happy. Truly happy. Maybe that was overstretching it a little. More like, at peace. The smell of bark, wildflowers, and decaying leaves filled his nostrils. The smell in itself was so full of life. Beams of moonlight dotted here and there amongst the darkness, illuminating his way. Once, he held out his hand, letting his fingers touch the shaft of light. And then he withdrew it, back into the darkness. Trees stood like silent watchers, shadowy pillars in the distance and around him. Here was a place when the imagination could be mistaken for reality.

Amongst the canopy of leaves overheard with the lines and blots of the night sky, their stars twinkling like diamonds. The wind blew thru the canopy, rustling the leaves against each other. Some days, Adam liked to close his eyes and just listen to it. It was an orchestra to him, an orchestra of the forest. Sometimes, the rustling leaves made him wonder if it sounded anything like the ocean. He had seen it a few times, but he could never quite remember the sound of it.

Adam moved silently, letting his mind wander amongst the forest. Here, he could just be himself. The forest was his sanctuary, his kingdom. Nobody to watch, or scrutinize, or mock him. Here, he could be God.

The bushes rustled, and Adam was snapped out of his thought. A magnificent stag poked its head out, its antlers rose like a standard. Adam gave a soft smile and moved over to the deer, reaching a hand out. He gently touched the stag's neck, and the deer nuzzled his hand.

"Hey Elaphe. Did you miss me?" Adam asked. The smile slowly faded from his face. Why did Elaphe seem so tired. Why was there the smell of blood?

"Comeon boy..." Adam said, gently leading Nara out of the bush. Adam's muscles tightened at what he saw. The deer had been shot in the flank by an arrow. It wasn't very deep, and it hadn't hit anything, but it outraged Adam.

"Hold on Elaphe. This is going to hurt." Adam said, trying to soothe the stag. Before the stag could realize it, or kick Adam with its hoof, the boy pulled the arrow out. It came out clean, taking nothing with it, and leaving nothing behind.

"See? Wasn't so bad." Adam said, rubbing the deer's side as he inspected the arrow. It seemed clean, but until they saw Nala, he couldn't be sure. He'd kill himself if Elaphe had been poisoned and he let it happen.

"Just hold still..."

* * *

Thalia crept through the underbrush, following the trail of blood. She could tell she hadn't wounded it that badly by the trail. She was flanked by her other hunters, as the silently moved through the forest like ghosts.

Thalia paused. She could see the stag now, standing in a beam of moonlight. And she could see another one near it.

No…. it wasn't another deer, but a person in deerskin kneeling by the deer's side. A boy. She watched him spit a globule of red out, and then turn his head back to the deer's flank. As if he was trying to get something out.

Thalia heard her archers draw their bows. She knew the law of the Hunters. No men could ever view the Hunt and live. Except in certain…. case.

"Wait!" she whispered, holding her hand for them to stop. She winced, realizing she had spoken to loudly, for the boy whirled around. For a moment, his eyes were surprised. Then, they burned with such hate, she wasn't sure if it was a monster in disguise or not. The boy could've passed for a monster in the state he was in. The lower half of his face and his hands were covered with red blood. Thalia could see the wound in the stag's side where her arrow had hit.

The boy spit out some of the blood, and attempted the wipe his mouth, succeeding only in getting more blood on himself.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, a dangerous growl in his voice.

"We were hunting." Thalia said, cautiously. Her breath caught in her throat as a look of pure hatred passed over washed over his face at her. If looks could kill, this one would've turned Medusa into stone.

"Hunting him?!" the boy asked, pointing a finger at the stag. "This is my forest! You don't belong here! Get out!"

"This forest doesn't belong to you. It belongs to Artemis!" a Hunter said. Before she could even register, the boy whipped out a hunting knife and lunged at the Hunter who said it. He was so fast, the other Hunters barely had enough time to stop him before he hurt her. The girl fell back, staring at him terrified, while two other Hunters pinned the boy to the forest floor. He continued to struggle, behaving viciously.

"I'll kill you! I'll kill all you! Hunters of Artemis! You're my next Hunt! I'll kill you! Every last one of you!" the boy screamed, struggling. The girls were barely keeping him down.

Thalia was taken back for a moment. She had never seen such sheer wrath before, not even in the Titans. There was a rustling in the bushes, and half the girls turned with their bows raised.

"Come out or we'll shoot…" said one of the Hunters cautiously. There was silence for a moment, and then an older boy with a blue hood and cloak got out of the bushes. An eye patch covered one of his eyes.

"Careful. Little girls shouldn't play with bows. You'll shoot somebody's eye out." The boy said, with the ghost of a smile. One of the girls screamed as the boy clad in deerskin bit the hand that was holding him.

"I said get off of me! Eric, help!"

The blue-clad boy made no moves to run to his aid, or run away. He merely stood still, watching the scene with his blue eye.

"You know this boy?" Thalia asked, pointing an arrow at the deerskin boy. Eric nodded.

"You'll have to excuse him. He can be a little… rash about things. We accompany him." Eric said.

"We?" Thalia asked, frowning.

"There is another in our party. If it pleases you, I'll call her now." Eric said. He put two fingers to his mouth and whistled. After a moment, a new girl came out of the bushes. Thalia saw her eyes flicker to the restrained boy, who had quieted down. He merely proceeded to glare daggers at the Hunters and his own companions.

" What were you doing in these woods?" Thalia asked. "And don't lie… or else…" She drew back her bow and aimed it at Eric. Just so he'd get the point.

"We didn't realize these were your woods. We're just passing through." Nala said, speaking up. She shrunk a little under Thalia's gaze.

"And the stag?"

"Our… _his_ friend… Elaphe…" Eric said. The deer stomped a hoof at the sound of its name, looking at Adam.

Thalia was silent for a minute. It was clear these children were demi-gods. Though, of what parents, she couldn't guess. If that was the case, then there was only one place for them.

"Is your camp nearby?" she asked after a moment.

"Yes…" Nala said, quietly.

"Good. Pack it up. You're all coming with us." Thalia said. The deerskin clad boy glared at her.

"Going _where_? " he asked, dangerously. Thalia slung her boy over her shoulder, and met his stare with one of her on. The moment before she said it, Adam realized it. And the thought of it made icebergs form in his veins.

"Why, to Camp Half-Blood of course…"

* * *

**Dum dum dummmmmm!!!! To be continued. PLEASE REVIEW!!**


	3. Cold Shadows

***sighs and pours himself a rootbeer as he sits at his RP Bar. The bar is silent and dusty, and Otokage sits by himself under a single light.***

**First off, I would like to apologize for the long wait. I have so much stuff going on at school and home and work. So that's getting in the way of my writing.**

**I also seem to be suffering from a terrible case of writers block. I mean, I KNOW what I want to write, but I just can't seem to be able to sit down and write it. My motivation is like… meh…**

**Second, I would like to thank Singerinthesilence, Just For a Second, Bella the Rock Goddess, You Know Who, Ares Burn, Tiger of the Moon, and pjatoslover for their reviews and supports. Seriously, I know that I don't do this enough for any of my stories. And I'm going to change this. I owe a lot of people thanks on Dark Side of the Moon.**

**I am making a new year's resolution to reply back to my readers. Because they deserve the same respect that they show me. *nods* Its cause of you guys that I write these. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother if nobody read my work. Feels nice for people to actually enjoy my stuff.**

**So again, thanks to all of you. You guys rock. Especially you guys who reviewed and read Dark Side of the Moon. I'll be making a formal thank-you at the next chapter, but I can only offer this for now. But seriously… thanks.**

***stretches and looks around his RP bar* I remember when this place was full of life and excitement. Now its just me again. How I miss those nostalgic golden days. Ah well, no point dwelling on the pass. Gotta focus on the present.**

**Here is the latest chapter of "The Forgotten." by Otokage**

**Ps. Please Read and Review!**

**Chapter 3**

**Cold Shadows**

* * *

Dreams.

The bane of my existence.

It wasn't exactly that I disliked being a demi-god. I mean, don't get me wrong. Being the son of Poseidon, defeating the Titan Lord Kronos, and saving Olympus was just plain awesome. I mean, how many other kids have bragging rights to that?

Mind you, then there was the other stuff. Like being plagued by monsters, having more than one Greek god wanting to obliterate you, and then school. I, personally, hate it. I can't seem to get past one year without getting expelled. And despite what my mom and Annabeth say, I just don't get it. Trust me, I'd LOVE to live a normal life. The problem is, I can't. So, what exactly is the point to it? I could go to school, and become a lawyer/monster killing demi-god. Yeah, that would work real well.

I turned over in my bed, looking at the minotaur horn on my wall, sighing. Sixteen months. Sixteen months since the fall of Kronos. Sixteen months since the changes at Camp Half-Blood. New cabins had been built, and campers where coming in daily. The gods were keeping their promise.

For now.

I groaned, pressing the pillow over my head, doing anything to try to get back to sleep.

Six months ago, I had the first stress birthday I've ever had in a long while. No monsters out to kill me, nobody dying, no prophecies to fulfill. Sure, there was the random monster straying over into the camps borders, but with the magical walls protecting the camp, and Olympus stronger than ever, things have finally quieted down for me.

Well, until tonight that is. When I had a dream that kept me up all night.

_I saw Olympus burning. The while pillars crashing down around, the pantheon of the gods destroyed. The air was thick with the sound of swords clashing against swords, and the howling of wolves. And despite the flames licking against the heavens, the sky was thick with rolling clouds, with an icy blizzard raining down on everything. And amidst all of this destruction, all of this chaos, I could see a single figure in a dark blue cloak ascending the white marble steps to the Temple of the Gods. I somehow followed it, and found myself in the Hall of the gods, with my father's and the other gods thrones empty. Even Hestia's flame was gone. The Inner sanctum of Olympus had been completely deserted._ _The figure threw back his head and laughed insanely, walked to the center of the hall. I couldn't do anything. From underneath its cloak, the figure produced a spear. They twirled it in the air, before plunging the head of it into the marble floor, cracking it. The cracks began to spread out towards the thrones, the fissures pulsing with a strange light that alternated between black and white._

_They whispered something, and somehow, I could hear it. One word._

_Ragnorak._

And thats when I woke up screaming, and bashed my head against the top of my bunk. Which is ironic because I am still the only member of the Poseidon cabin. I sighed, rubbing the back of my head where the lump still remained. Things never could just be... even semi-normal, could they?

* * *

When day break finally came, I wasn't sure what to do. I was exhausted. I was exhausted physically because sleep hadn't come that night. And I was exhauster mentally because I kept running the dream over and over in my head.

Tiny flecks of snow covered the grass and cabins of Camp Half-Blood. Which was rather interesting because Dionysus, or Mr. D, usually kept it as warm as a tropical island. But now, a soft snowfall was falling. The lake had a thin layer of ice over it, and I could see the naiads swimming beneath it. The strange thing was, even though there was only a light layer of snow, it was freezing. Like someone had put the entire camp into an ice box.

Oh, and did I mention the few frozen campers here or there, standing like ice statues? I ran out of my cabin, uncapping my sword, Riptide, and ran over to closest camper. It was Clarrise, her face covered with an inch of ice. Now, normally I don't like Clarrise. We've had our disagreements in the past. Like her dad wanting to kill me. Didn't really go to well with the whole Ares family. But nobody deserved to be frozen twice.

I crouched beside her, trying to triangulate the sounds of fighting. There was nothing I could do for her until we managed to defrost her. The clash of swords and spears were nearby, and for a second, I was afraid my dream was coming true.

Creeping quietly, I edged around the side of the cabins until I could see Thalia's tree. What I saw turned my blood cold… if you'll pardon the unintentional pun.

The campers, clad in greek armor, were at battle with half a dozen creatures I had never seen before. They kinda resembled Hyperboleans, which I had only seen during the Battle of Manhatten. But they were larger and seemed more human proportioned. And judging by the large axes and armor that they bore, it seemed like these things meant business. Clusters of campers were trying to bring one down, but with a sweep of its hand, it sent them flying.

Another camper was running away from one of these things. The creature blew some sort of icy mist, and the camper became encased in an inch of slick ice.

It wasn't even a contest. The Campers were being pushed back. And judging by the ground gained by these things as they marched up the hill, the magical barriers of the Camp were doing squat to help.

It was then that I did something really stupid. I charged into battle yelling my battle cry of "For Poseidon!".

Now, hindsight is a beautiful thing, and afterwards, I was able to realize why this was so stupid of me. I'll give you three reasons.

One, I didn't regroup or form any sort of plan with the rest of the campers. Together, we might've been able to do something. Second, all my battle cry did was alert one of the giants that a new punching bag had entered the fray. And third, I was wearing no armor.

Oh sure, I was invincible and whatnot from the Curse of Achilles, but while being invincible MIGHT keep a giant axe from cleaving you in two, it does, in no way, prevent you from being sent flying about sixty feet and sent crashing into the walls of a cabin. And let me just say, that really, _really_ hurts.

I managed to pull myself out of the snow just in time to see one of the giants yank a Hephaestus camper off their feet and send them spinning over the cabins. I clutch Riptide, and charged back into the fray. But their armor was thick, and my sword just kept bouncing off with a shower of sparks. Six and a half years of hero training was all that kept me alive… or at least being sent back into another wall. But not even that was enough to bring one of these things down.

With a roar, the giant swung its axe, and Riptide flew out of my hands as I tried to block it. He grabbed me in his giant hands, and practically squeezed the life out of me. He held me close to his mouth, and let me tell you, giants need breath mints.

"Sie sind ein reizbares einer, Sohn der See." it rumbled. "Aber Ihre Tapferkeit ist bewundernswert sogar zu mir." Now that I was closer, I could see how truly human these giants were. They had the most frigid blue eyes I had ever seen. They were almost handsome… in a 'we're-gonna-kill-you' kinda way.

Suddenly, an arrow grew out of one of the giant's eyes. Then I heard a clear, piercing sound: the call of a hunting horn blowing in the woods.

Suddenly, it seemed like a deer and a whirl of blue ripped themselves from the forest and charged at the giant holding me. Only as they got close did I realize it was two boys, one a year younger than me dressed in a deerskin tunic and the other a year older in a blue cloak. I had never imagined anybody could move that fast.

The boy in deerskin held these cruel looking hunting knives in his hands and he leapt onto the giant's hand, digging them in deep before ripping them out and stabbing them into the giant's arm. For a second, our eyes met, and I felt as though I had seen those eyes somewhere before.

That was just before the giant gave a roar of pain and was forced to drop me. He tried to swipe at the deerskin boy, but the kid flipped over the fist. The giant tossed me aside like a rag doll into a snow bank and tore after the boy. I got up, cold and covered in snow, to see the boy darting this way and that, with a bow in his hand, firing arrow into the chinks of the giant's armor. But all they seemed to do was annoy him like bee-stings.

But the entire time, the boy laughed. A mad, twisted laugh, like this was all fun for him. Even when the giant managed to catch up and send him slamming straight into a tree. He never stopped laughing.

I saw Riptide close to me, and I made a grab for it. Suddenly, the boy in the blue cloak appeared before me. He placed his foot on the hilt of my sword, and stared down at me with his ice blue eye.

"Do not intervene. Right now, the wolf is hunting among the sheep. Stay your hand lest he bites it off." the boy said, before turning his eyes to the woods. I followed his gaze towards where about two dozen young girls came out of the woods, their bows drawn. The Hunters. I recognized my friend Thalia amongst them, charging into the fray with her shield Aegis strapped to her forearm.

"Permission to kill?" one of the Hunters asked. Thalia waved her spear at the giants, who had just noticed the new arrivals.

"Permission granted."

The Hunters let their arrows fly. Silver arrows stabbed a giant in the neck, and another in the chest. The Campers redoubled their efforts and began to push back against the giants. One of the giants managed to avoid the first barrage, and came charging at the Hunters. Thalia made short work of him with her spear, stabbing him in the throat. He and the others dissolved into mounds of snow, and each time one did, the hill blew with an icy breeze. Soon, the only one left was the giant the deerskin boy was fighting.

By now, the giant was sluggish, with numerous cuts and gashes along its body as it still tried to crush the boy. Drops of red blood the size of my fist dripped from its body, melting the snow as they fell.

The boy spat out a globule of his own blood, and gave a grin, showing his bloody teeth. He must've cut his mouth sometime along the way. He spun his knives in his hands, as if he was twirling the world's deadliest conductor batons.

"Come to me my prey. Let my blades sing their song. Let their edges kiss your skin." the boy said, with a mad gleam in his eyes.

"Unverschämter Hund!"

The giant swung his axe down, and that ended the battle right there. With a crunch the blade sank into the frozen earth, and missed the boy as he rolled to the side. As he got up, he threw the knife with such accuracy, I knew that not even one of Apollo's kids could repeat it. The knife went right through the back of the giants ankle, and I heard it slice his Achilles tendon. The giant lurched and toppled in the snow. With a great crash he fell forward, his head only a few feet from us. With a great roar, he tried to get back onto his feet, but his legs just wouldn't hold, and he lay still. His icy breathe was haggard, and he numbly opened his good remaining eye to stare at us. It widened as it fell upon the blue cloaked boy.

"Sie..."

"Ja. Mich." the boy in the blue cloaked responded. He then bent down, to get closer to the giant. I could hear the words he whispered. "Dinge rühren, Folstag. Sie waren ein Narr zu versuchen, sie aufzuhalten."

"Now THAT," the deerskin boy said, walking over to the fallen giant, "was a good hunt." He bent down, and with a sickening sound, ripped his knife out of the giant's ankle. He then proceeded to climb onto the giant's back and sit on his neck, looking at us. The boy held his knife, inspecting it as if it was some sort of curio. Then he held is close to his mouth, and I watched as his tongue licked at the blood along the edge of the blade like the knife was a lollipop.

"So then, Eric, he's your father's enemy. His head would make a fine trophy. Would you like to kill him?" the boy asked. Eric, the one in the blue cloak, gave a faint smile.

"No. You may claim him as your kill. Good hunting, Wolf Hunter."

The boy's eyes got a joyful gleam in them, and he spun the knife in his hand.

"A good hunt indeed." he said, as he began his work.

* * *

I was pretty miserable that night.

I mean, the food was excellent as usual. You can't go wrong with barbecue, pizza, and never emptying soda goblets. The torches and braziers kept the outdoor pavilion warm, but we all had to sit with our cabin mates, which meant I was alone at the Poseidon table. Again.

We even had more tables than when I first came here. The half-bloods of the minor gods had their own tables now. Unfortunately for them, some of these tables were pretty quiet as usual.

At least Hepheasteus, Aphrodite, Hermes, and Apollo had some campers. I saw that Clarrisse was defrosted again, and was creaming one of her siblings at arm wrestling. The Artemis table was full up of her Hunters, and Thalia gave me a wave when she saw me. We would have to talk later.

When we had all been seated, Chiron made the customary toast to the gods, and thanked the Hunters for their help. But it seemed he had a few other announcements to make.

"Now it has come to my attention that there are some rumors flying around. About the events that took place earlier today." he said, looking at all of us. "Now I can assure you that Argus is looking into this, and I have sent word of this to Olympus. Whatever those creatures were-"

"You mean you don't know, Son of the Old One?" came a voice from the side of the pavilion. Three children seemed to materialize out of the darkness, as though they had suddenly appeared. But I knew that they couldn't. Nobody had THAT kind of power. With a goose bumps up on my arm, I had the faintest idea that they had been there this entire time, and nobody had noticed they had been there. Until now.

I recognized two of them. The boy named Eric and the other one in the deerskin who had killed the giant. The third one was a very exotic looking girl in a cream robe and long dark hair. The one who had killed the giant had spoken. He seemed more sane now, though I still saw a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"Their name is that hidden in the dark ice of the north, through the blizzards and the cold wind that blows down from the mountains. They go by many names… but to us, they are the Jötunn, the Frost Giants of the North." the boy in the blue cloak said.

There was a sudden outburst of talking amongst the tables. I had never heard of those creatures before. I looked at Thalia and found no answer in her gaze. It was clear she had never heard of them either.

Chiron's tail swished back and forth nervously.

"Er… ah yes. Allow me to introduce our new campers. These are… er…" Chiron fumbled. The girl gave a gentle smile.

"My name is Nala." she said. "He's Eric. And this is Adam." she said, putting her hands on the shoulder of the other boy. He gave a scowl and looked away from the stare of the campers.

"Oh goody. More campers. As though my punishment will never end…" Mr. D said from the counselor's table. One of the kids from the Ares table stood up.

"How do you know about these... Jun ... Jew.."

"Jötunn?" Eric said, closing his good eye.

"Yeah."

"Because its our hobby." Adam said, his silver eyes reflecting the torchlight. "We kill them for fun."

* * *

There was even more murmurs from the rest of the tables, and Chiron had to stomp his hoof to restore order.

"Yes well… if you could take your seats, we can continue with dinner." he said. To Adam, that sounded like a good idea.

He began walking over a table where a boy sat by himself. Adam recognized him as the boy that the giant was holding when they arrived at camp. Under great duress from those blasted Hunters.

Just thinking about them made Adam want to grind his teeth.

As he neared the table, he was stopped by one of the satyrs.

"Hey um… sorry… but camp rules, you know?" the satyr said with an apologetic smile. "Unknowns are suppose to sit with the Hermes table, since he's the god of travelers."

Adam furrowed his brow, and pushed the satyr aside.

"Nala, tell the goat if he gets in my way again, it won't be hotdogs roasting on the BBQ." Adam said. Eric helped the goat and muttered an apology.

"We already know our parents." Nala explained hurriedly to Chiron. She went to him, and whispered something in his ear.

"What?!" Chiron asked in shock, and earning the look of several campers.

Adam sat down at the table, across from the boy. He had already made it clear that Sibuna was not to reveal who he was. Not yet anyway.

"Hey." Adam said to the boy.

"Hey."

Adam noticed the boy was scanning his face. He was doing likewise, seeing if he could read anything behind it. Adam stretched his hand out towards the boy in greeting.

"I'm Adam." he said, trying a smile. The boy shook his hand.

"Percy."

"Is that short for Perseus?" Adam asked. He saw the boy stiffen. "I'll take it as a yes. Not too many Percy's at the only camp for Half-Bloods. Your reputation precedes you."

"Thanks, I guess." Percy said. "What sort of reputation?"

Adam gave an almost playful smirk.

"Oh, you don't know? You're a titan killer. Hero of the prophecy. Son of the Sea God. They even call you invincible." Adam said, calmly. He saw a flash of something in Percy's eyes and was delighted by it. Was that fear? Why would Percy be afraid of being called invincible?

"Oh really? Who says those things?" Percy asked, with a small smile.

"Just things I hear in my line of work. From monsters. Usually right before I kill them." Adam said. "Did you like the show earlier?"

"Show?" Percy asked, clearly confused. Adam pulled out his knife and gave it a gentle throw into the wooden table where it shallowly embedded itself before he pull it out and repeated.

"With those Frost Giants. That was fun." Adam said. _Thunk._ "I saw you charge in there. Pretty brave." _Thunk_

_"Or pretty stupid."_ Adam thought silently to himself.

_Thunk _

The knife went over and over into the table.

"Um. Yeah. Brave." Percy said, with a small frown. He eyed the knife a bit warily. "You seem pretty handy with that thing."

Adam held the knife up for him to see.

"Like it? This beauty and its siblings have put many a monster to sleep." Adam said, almost wistfully. He didn't want to mention Artemis's knives, but how could he not when he used them against the giants? Besides, they were beautiful. He could handle them like they were a part of his own body, and they weighed next to nothing! They deserved to be mentioned, even as if nothing more than his own knife's siblings.

"Yeah, what is that? Its not celestial bronze, is it?" Percy asked, looking closer at it. It reflected the light beautifully, and was the brightest, coldest metal he had seen.

"This?" Adam asked, feeling the point. "This is Heavenly Silver," he said, proudly.

"I've never heard of it."

"I wouldn't be surprised." Adam said. He pressed down harder on the point, and a bright red droplet of blood formed against his finger. "Celestial Bronze passes through humans, but kills monsters. Heavenly Silver does the job for both of them. Very dangerous. Not for beginners." Adam said, with an underlying hint of friendly mockery. "I see you use a sword. Don't get me wrong, a sword does the job. But Heavenly Silver is way too fragile to be made into a large object like a sword, or a spear. So, its impractical for Half-Bloods. Unless you can use it like I do."

"Five minutes together and they're already talking about weapons." Eric said, sitting down on Adam's right, while Nala took his left. "I swear, you must both be trying to compensate for something."

"Leave them alone, Eric." Nala said, smiling at Percy. "Don't mind either of them. They're nice, they really are." she said to him.

"So are you really Perseus Jackson?" Eric asked.

"Shouldn't you know that already?" Adam grumbled, tucking his knife away. Eric gave a grunt and tapped his eye patch.

"Just making sure." he said, his icy eye staring intently at Percy. "Because if you are, then your-"

"-reputation precedes me. Yeah, I heard." Percy said. Things were becoming a bit uncomfortable for him as he saw the eyes of most of the camp members glancing at them. He decided to change the subject. "You're sitting at the Poseidon table, but I doubt you're my siblings. Whose kids are you?"

Adam suddenly gave a frown, and averted his eyes. He gave Nala a tap on her knee to inform her that she'd better do the talking, lest he lose his cool.

"I already talked to Chiron about it. He said this was alright. Adam doesn't know who his is. Our parents don't seem to have tables at your camp however." she said. Percy shot straight up like he'd been shocked.

"What? No way! The Olympians promised to acknowledge all of the Gods." Percy said. Nala gave a small giggle.

"Well, there's your problem right there." Nala said, covering her mouth to hide her smile. "We're not Olympian offspring."

Silence hung in the air. Percy stared at her as though she had just grown broccoli out of her ears. Adam could only discern one thing from Percy's look: Um. Okay. What?

"I'm am the child of Odin the One-Eye." Eric said, closing his good eye. "A Norse god."

"And I'm the daughter of Anubis." Nala said with a smile that flashed her white teeth. "A Egyptian god."

Percy was aware that every eye in the pavilion on them now. "That can't be. They're just myths." Percy said, meekly.

"Says the guy whose dad is supposingly God of the Sea." Eric said, opening his eye again.

"You're saying Poseidon isn't real?"

"You're saying Odin isn't?"

"No I'm… I just thought…"

"Thought that the Olympians were the only ones?" Eric asked tensely. The pavillion was dead silent now. "While the Olympians carry Western civilization on their backs, the Norse gods are Northern Civilization, and the Egyptian are South." His nostrils flared, though he kept his voice even. "Russia, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Poland, Iceland. These are my family's lands. Maybe not as great as America, but just as important. We were once just as great and powerful as you Olympians. And while our Half-Bloods aren't as numerous as yours, **We** still do exist."

"I didn't know." Percy said defensively.

"Nido, leave it. You're beginning to irk me." Adam growled dangerously. Eric closed his mouth, and seemed to back down. "You think because you struck a deal with a well, you know everything. Shut it, and show a little gratitude before I remove your other eye."

"Gratitude? Why-" Percy began to ask, but Nala suddenly stood up.

"I'm hungry. Comeon, let's go get some food." she said, tugging her friends up. As walked quickly away from the table, and she gave a disappointed look at Eric. "You shouldn't have done that."

Eric didn't respond, but merely grabbed a plate of food. He strode over to the sacrificial brazier with all eyes upon him. Eric scrapped part of his dinner into the fire.

"Father Odin, accept my offering."

The flames in the brazier jumped and burned white for a moment, and a fierce cold wind snapped through the pavilion, carrying the scent of snow. The flames returned to normal, and Eric stepped away.

As Eric walked back, Adam grabbed his arm.

"What on earth do you think you're doing?" Adam hissed through his teeth.

"Let them see us in awe and fear, Deer Runner. It will set them into confusion, and through their unknowing, we grow closer to our goal." Eric mumbled to them both.

"Oh!" Nala whispered softly, as she caught on. She took a plate of food as well, and hurried up to the brazier.

"Lord Anubis, accept my offering."

The flames jumped up dark and hot, dispelling the cold air that had just blown through. The smell of the dry desert came from the brazier, and Nala was illuminated by the purple light. It returned to normal, and she stood by Eric.

Adam still didn't get it. Awe and fear? What was…. oh! He finally understood what Eric was talking about. Something that only he could do.

Adam took his own plate, and slowly went up to the brazier. He could feel all of the eyes in the pavillion on him. He looked over to the Counselor's table, where Dionysus and Chiron sat. Towards Poseidon table where Percy sat. Towards Artemis table, where the Hunters sat.

He'd give them all a surprise.

Adam dumped his entire plate of food in, and then whipped out his knife. He slashed the palm of his hand, and then held it over the brazier, letting the blood dribble down into the flame.

"Titans, hear my prayer!" he said, loudly for all to hear. Then he made a silent prayer. "_And mother, it is time for my second wish…_"

Too many things happened at once for Adam to register. The pavilion exploded in a chorus of shouts and yelling. Out of the empty air came the sound of a clock tower, so loud, it sounded as though they were standing in the face of Big Ben. He saw some of the campers get up in shock get up, in shock. A grin moved across his face as he saw fear in Chiron's and Dionysus's eyes as the brazier erupted in a column of roaring golden flames. But he did have enough time to register Thalia tear out of her seat and grab him by his tunic.

"What in the name of the GODS ARE YOU THINKING?!" she screamed at him. She shoved Adam, and a shock went through his body that sent him flying across the pavilion. Adam cracked his head against a column, though he struggled his feet. He saw nothing but red before his eyes, and he wanted to send his knife spinning into the Hunter's throat.

Some of the Camper's gasped. Even Thalia paled and took a step back. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to… I…." she said. Adam saw she wasn't looking at him though. She, along with everyone else, was staring at the holographic image above his head.

Adam looked up, and saw that his wish had come true. A white crescent moon resembling a bow, and a silver arrow though it, floated above his head.

Adam looked over to see Chiron speechless. The old centaur had nothing to say, but could only stare in awe at the sign. The hunters got up and knelt as one, bowing their heads.

"All hail the son of the Huntress." Thalia whispered. Tears brimmed in her eyes.

Adam's face suddenly flushed with anger. Something wasn't right. None of the other campers were bowing. Why weren't they bowing?

Blood rushed to his cheeks as he realized why. The Hunters of Artemis didn't bow their heads out of respect. But out of shame.

Adam suddenly felt like his back was against the wall. He looked around wildly at the eyes staring at him. At Percy looking at him. He could practically hear their thoughts. Mocking, tormenting laughs inside their heads. What was he thinking? Being the son of Artemis wasn't a thing to be proud of. It was a disgrace! How could he be so foolish?

Adam's hands clenched into fists, and he tried so hard to keep from screaming out.

For the first time in many years, Adam no longer felt like a hunter. He was cornered. Those eyes and faces surrounded him. They were like predators. Waiting for a sign of weakness. So they could leap in. And bite. And kill. And eat.

Adam had become the prey.

The thought terrified him. Fear! He wasn't suppose to fear! Fear anything or anybody! Yet here he was, scared out of his wits. The fact that Adam was terrified only scared him worse. He did the only thing he could do.

He ran.

Thalia watched as the boy in the deerskin tunic vanished into the gloom. He looked the same a rabbit caught in a snare; terrified. She wasn't sure what to think of right now. Her head was spinning.

"We need to have a council of cabin leaders." Percy said, from across the room. He stared straight at Chiron.

"That means _now_."

* * *

"Okay, that took way to long." Percy said, fifteen minutes later as the cabin leaders gathered around a ping-pong table in the rec room.

Mr. D and Chiron sat at one end of the table, while Thalia, who looked miserable, sat at the other end. Percy, Annabeth, and the others sat on either side. Percy started the meeting on a very positive note.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked, looking around the table. It was clear that the most uncomfortable ones here were Thalia and Chiron.

"It appears… we have some unforseen difficulties…" Chiron said nervously. He sighed, stroking his beard. "Egyptian and Norse Half-Bloods. I shall have to send word to Olympus about this…"

"What I want to know," Clarisse said, looking at him, "Is how they can exist? What gives, Chiron?"

The centaur looked at Mr. D almost pleadingly, for help. Dionysus looked up from his wine magazine innocently.

"What? You expect me to know? I'm a young God, remember? I don't keep track of those dusty old Titans, let alone anything else before them." he said. "Although, by what the boy was saying, it seems those myths were true."

"So let me get this straight." Annabeth interrupted. "The Olympian Gods thought these others Gods were just myths."

Dionysus stared at her. "Western Civilization, remember? I had no intention of marking my calendar for scouring Russia for some norse gods that may or may not exist." he said, turning a page in his magazine. "Vodka is a terrible drink. No flavor. Whatever these gods are though, they're origin must be pre-Titan. Otherwise _somebody_ would have heard of them."

"Forget the other two. What about that one kid. What's his face? Adam." Percy said, standing up. He looked right at Thalia. "Floating moon over his head. I'd like to guess what it is, but its impossible."

"Percy, from what I have seen these past few years, nothing is impossible. You are a prime example of this." Chiron said.

"This is different!"

Dionysus actually put down his magazine to look at both of them.

"Shall I just incinerate him and be done with it?" the wine god asked, tilting his shades. Purple fire lurked beneath his eyes.

"Mr. D, there's no prophecy involved. We don't know what will happen." Chiron pleaded.

"Regardless of, it still appears that Artemis has broken her oath. She has borne a child. What's more, she has seemed to have broken this oath a long time ago." Dionysus mused. "The safest bet would be to kill him now. Before he becomes too powerful."

"But how could Artemis break her oath?" Annabeth asked.

"Same way Percy and I were born. Our fathers' vows meant very little to them. That's the only reason we exist." Thalia said bitterly. "But Lady Artemis held to her vow so strongly. She's always has." Thalia looked like she was about to break down. Or break someone's head. "But like them, she had to fall in love with a human."

Percy was taken aback. Normally, Thalia was so tough, he didn't think anything phased her. But the idea that her goddess's honor had been ruined was shattering her.

"So? Who cares?" Percy said quickly. "So she broke her vow… gods do that. Mr. D is the only one I've seen not break his."

Mr. D furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance.

"This is punishment, Pedro Jorgenson. Not a vow. And I do not like it one bit. As soon as I've served my sentence, I am opening a bottle of _Mourquet _and drinking it with my wife_._" he said.

"Point is, I don't get what the big deal is." Percy said.

"Percy, Artemis's vow defined her. She is… was… known for the Eternal Virgin as a reason." Annabeth said.

"Okay, so yeah. So she broke that. But what about Zeus and Poseidon? The Great Prophecy stated that a child of the big three was either going to destroy or save Olympus. Their oath worked for a little while, but then they broke it." he said. "Thalia and I weren't suppose to be born, yet you didn't kill us. We helped save Olympus!" Percy said. "And Artemis has been hunting monsters forever. She hasn't done anything wrong, really. She made that vow herself, so she must've broken it for a good reason." he said, looking around at them.

"To break her oath is one thing, but she went beyond that, Percy. She had a child." Chiron said.

Percy's face grew red. "So? Hermes, Apollo, Ares and Aphrodite have tons of kids! There's dozens of them. Artemis should be allowed to have a child too."

"He's still too dangerous." Mr. D said.

"But he's just a regular half-blood!" Percy protested.

"I doubt there will ever be such a thing." Mr. D said apathetically. "Unfortunately, he's just about as much of a headache as you were, Peter Johnson. As Artemis's first born, he posses massive potential. If I'm lucky, his mother will turn him into a pine tree as well and we can all be done with it." he said, picking up his magazine.

"What do you mean?" Percy asked. Chiron frowned, and looked at Thalia.

"I have noticed among my years teaching that the older the generation of children a God had, the less powerful they seemed to become. A perfect example of this is you Thalia. Hercules was also a son of Zeus, back when Zeus was first having children. He completed his impossible labors, and had such strength that he defeated many of his enemies with his bare hands." the old centaur said, stroking his beard. "Forgive me, but while you are truly powerful, you as nowhere near as powerful as Hercules was. Theseus is another example. Percy, when you first arrived to camp, you paled in comparison to him." Chiron said sadly. He stepped over to the window and pulled back the curtain a bit, staring at the camp outside. "This new child however is Artemis's first. Today, I saw abilities that I had not seen in a long time…"

After speaking, Chiron gave another longing sigh and looked wistfully at the Artemis cabin barely visible against in dark.

"We cannot forget that Adam knew things." Chiron said gravely. "Or that he sacrificed to the Titans. Part of me hopes he did so out of ignorance or anger. I felt something stir in the dark. I pray it is not what I think it is." he said. Chiron made a three-finger claw with his hand over his chest and pushed outward; a sign meant to drive away evil.

"I'm speaking to Zeus about this. I should be able to convince to let me fry the kid." Mr. D muttered to himself. Chiron let the curtain fall back into place.

"It is late. We should get some rest. We can discuss these things in the morning once we have had time to sleep on them." Chiron said.

Percy and Thalia got up to leave with the rest of the camp leaders, but Chiron stopped them. "Percy, Thalia. Wait here for a minute." he said. He waited until everyone except the three of them remained, and then shut the door. Chiron turned to them with a strange look in his eyes.

"Thalia, can you tell me how you came across Adam and his friends?"

Thalia told him everything, but she left the part out about how Adam had threatened her Hunters. Chiron seemed interested in how Adam had reacted to his deer being shot though.

"I need you two to talk to Adam. Make him feel welcomed at the camp. I can only imagine that he must be very confused and very upset with everything that has occurred." Chiron said. "Some of the other campers… they may not receive him to well. Can you make sure things try to go smoothly for him?"

Percy nodded, but Thalia looked unsure. After a moment, she nodded as well.

"I will for Lady Artemis. He must have so many questions." Thalia muttered, shaking her head.

"You should talk to him tonight." Chiron said. He opened up the door for both of them. "In the meantime, I will send word to Olympus about his and he others' existence. The Council must be informed constantly." he said.

Thalia left without another word, but Percy saw that her cheeks were wet. After a few moments, something struck his thoughts, and he turned back to Chiron.

"Artemis's child. Adam. You're… you're really looking forward to teaching him, aren't you?" Percy asked. Chiron gave a sad smile.

"It seems you noticed." the centaur said. "It has been many years since I've had a chance to train anyone like the heroes of old. Maybe I'll get my chance with Adam… if he doesn't disappoint us first."

* * *

Thalia walked through the pathways of the camp silently. Things had changed since she was last here. They was a whole new section of the camp for a cluster of cabins for the minor gods. It was even larger than the U shaped pantheon of cabins for the Olympians. She saw lanterns dotted here and there as campers went among the circle of Minor cabins. They were laughing, and having a good time. For some reason, the Olympian cabins were unusually silent tonight.

Thalia sighed, her breathe visible in the cold evening air. She stared up at the moon, a giant disc of yellow against a sea of night framed by an archipelago of stars.

She wasn't sure what to fell anymore.

Part of her was so ashamed. Ashamed for Artemis. Thalia felt like both of their honor had been disgraced. What was the point of the hunters anymore now? Their own oaths of being eternal maidens? Were those vows even good anymore? Part of her felt like a joke, like she had been slapped n the face. Thalia felt like she had the most responsibility for this disgrace out of the hunters, even though she had no control over it. Here she was, Lieutenant of Artemis's Hunters… and she could do nothing about this situation…

What was it that Artemis had always told them? That they were they lucky ones. They had not become silly like other women, forgetting themselves and chasing after men. They remained eternal maidens, bound by a sisterhood of comrades.

And yet Lady Artemis had fallen in love with a man.

It was like everything Artemis stood for had been ripped away from her.

"_No_." Thalia told herself. "_That's not true_." Artemis may have had a child, but she was still goddess of the Hunt. The Hunting of all wild creatures was within her sphere, and that included monsters. THAT was what the Hunt was all about. THAT was the purpose of the Hunters, and had always remained Artemis's mission. They would continue it for her in her absence as they always had.

Her pride slightly healed, Thalia lifted her head. Things seemed down, but nothing had truly changed for them. If any of the campers said anything, she could only remind them of how promiscuous their parents were. Or hit them in the face with Aegis.

She allowed a brief smile on her face at the mental thought. Yes. She would defend Artemis's honor. And who knew? Perhaps some good could come out of her son. Adam had all the makings of a Hunter. It was a shame he was a boy, however. It would have been interesting to have had him with the hunters.

"I said let me in! You have no right, this is my cabin!"

The fighting up ahead took Thalia out of her deep thinking. The cabin of Artemis was truly a beautiful one. It was made with white stone with a large crescent moon protruding from the side. The door and window frames were made out of live wood that bore leaves and flowers in the summer and spring. For winter, they were bare now. Thalia knew that inside there were plenty of warm bunks for her Hunters' use, whenever they came to the Camp.

However, the situation taking place in front of the cabin was getting ugly.

Adam stood in front of the cabin, moon's full light illuminating him fully. His skin seemed to glow gently, as though he had been taking showers in liquid moonbeams. Adam's stance was braced, and his fists were clenched as though he was ready to fight. Or flee.

The Hunter's gathered around the doorway, barring his way into the cabin. One of the Hunter's even had her bow aimed at him.

"Get out of the way!" Adam said, angrily.

"Hold it! What is going on?" Thalia demanded loudly, getting their attention.

"Lieutenant!" one of the Hunter's cried, "We found him in our cabin and we had to force him out. He keeps trying to get back in!"

Adam seemed to clench his teeth, his silver eyes filled with something.

"You can't just kick me out! I'm supposed to sleep here too!" Adam shouted, casting his hand out to the side.

"What about your friends?" Thalia asked. Adam gave a 'humpf'.

"Chiron said they could sleep in the Big House. But he told me I had to sleep here, since I'm… I'm _hers_…" he said, hissing the last part out angrily.

Thalia was stunned. Chiron had not mentioned any of this when he spoke with her only a few minutes ago. Yet she knew the rule that all Campers were to sleep in the cabin built for their parent. But…

She couldn't let a _boy_ stay in the same cabin as all of her Hunters.

Even if he was the son of her goddess?

Thalia was torn. The cabin had only been built out of honor for Artemis and for her Hunters to use. Did he really have as much claim to it as they did?

Adam looked at her, and then back at the Hunter's blocking to door. He clenched his fist until his palm began to bleed again, and he shut his eyes in anger.

"Fine. Keep your stupid cabin." Adam said evenly.

"Adam…" Thalia began, but Adam held his bloody hand out to her, making her stop.

"No. I get it. And I don't care. What right do I have to question _her Hunters_? You're _her _chosen ones. _Her_ favorites." Adam said. He said 'her' with such loathing, like he couldn't stand to say his mother's name.

"You don't understand…" Thalia said, taking a step towards him. "It's not like that…"

"I understand just fine. I get it! Just LEAVE ME ALONE!" Adam shouted, clamping his hands over his hears. His eyes snapped open, and his stared up at the moon with such phenomenal hate.

After a silent moment, Adam seemed to realize where he was. He took a few steps back, eyeing Thalia warily, before fully turning and flee.

Thalia watched as Adam ran away from the closest thing to family he had.

Because that was all that he knew how to do.

* * *

Everybody has an innate fear of the dark. And they should. They don't know what the dark contains.

They say that at night, there is no such thing as the impossible. In the dark, the imaginary become real. Every child fears the monster in its closet or under its bed. Those monsters like the dark though. Just as we feel safe during the day, the feel safe during night. Night hides them. In Nyx's gentle screen, they can hide. They can go about their plans unseen by the rest of the world.

Not all monsters hide under the bed though. Monsters take on all shapes and forms. Sometimes, the scariest monsters are those we feel safest around. They like the dark as well.

This is how one particular monster found himself; hiding in the dark. A tormented soul, crouching in his kingdom of trees and shadows, stared down upon Camp Half-blood and the warm, safe light that permeated it.

Adam stared down with hard eyes as the camp. He was sitting against a free, his bow and knives laying on the ground next to him. Chiron had told him these woods were filled with monsters. That's suited Adam just fine. He wasn't afraid of the monsters in these woods.

Just the monsters down at the camp.

No! THEY should be scared of him! If they only knew… Adam wished he could tell them, to see the terror on their faces from what he had planned. He was going to give them such a show.

He couldn't wait for it to begin. It would soon. Adam knew that much.

And when it did finally happen, Adam was going to tear the heavens down star by star. And finally, when there was a new Olympus shining in the Heavens, would he rest. Until then, he was going to let his hate consume him. His hate is what made him strong. Because he was the only one left. The only one leftover from the War.

Adam took a shuddering breathe, staring down at his palm. He had wrapped it with some dock leaf and bandages. It would heal soon enough. He had to be patient though. Adam knew that if a hunter moved to quickly, his prey could get away. Patience and accuracy was the key.

They were going to all pay though. Adam wouldn't forgive them for what they did. For the humiliating defeat. For turning all of his hopes and dreams to ashes. The Old One had promised him his revenge. Now Adam was going to cash in what was rightfully his.

Adam rested his head against the bark, closing his eyes. He began to control his breathing, trying to cease the fire in his limbs and the pounding of his heart. Could he ever find rest?

Adam heard a twig snap, and his knife was suddenly in his hand as he turned towards the sound of it. But he relaxed as he saw the stag standing in the beam of moonlight near him, grazing. It was just Elaphe.

"Gave me a scare buddy." Adam said with a gentle smile. The deer raised its head and stared at him. "Yeah, I know. I over did it today." The deer walked over and lay down next to Adam, resting its head in his lap. "Well you don't need to be so reproachful about it!" Adam said, with a sad smile. Elaphe closed his eyes, and nuzzled Adam's stomach. "Yes, I promise you don't have to sleep in the stables." Adam said, stroking the deer's neck. He suddenly wrapped his arms around it, cradling the deer's head. "You're my only friend, you know that, right?" Adam whispered. "Things are gonna get better…"

Adam closed his eyes, feeling warm and safe at last. Sleep was the balm of all woes.

Tonight, he had to sleep. For tomorrow…

It began.

* * *

Rachel Dare grabbed her chest, her eyes wild as she stood up, knocking over the brazier of incense she had been crouching over. Her eyes glowed green, and a raspy voice emmenated from her body.

"_Returning, returning, returning. It is always returning. Returning through the dark and the fire and blood. He is returning, and they are returning, and it is returning. But too late… we are far too late… returning, returning, returning…"_

* * *

***sips his rootbeer* Well, I'm done for the night. Hope you enjoyed it. The next installment will be who knows at a theatre somewhere.**

**I have gotta get over this writers block. I miss my old RPs….**

**Please Review. And thanks for everything folks. There will be more!**


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